Show Your Face, Prince! Chapter 77

Letier, dressed in a way that wouldn’t draw attention, looked at Dante and spoke.

“So… we have to leave right now?”

“That’s right,” Dante replied with a shrug.

Completely on his own terms…

Letier grumbled inwardly as she opened her bag.

“I haven’t even finished packing yet.”

“Just grab the essentials. The plan’s changed.”

“What do you mean, changed?” she asked, turning to look at him.

Dante lowered the small travel bag he had slung over his shoulder.

“We’ll likely need to return to the Trillante Empire soon. There’s no time to be leisurely traveling.”

“What? All of a sudden? Why?”

“I’ll explain on the way. Change into this.”

He handed her a dress from his bag—a plain, modest outfit, the kind commoners might wear.

Where did he even get this?

“This one?”

“It’ll draw less attention. Keep your packing minimal.”

With that, Dante turned and left the room without hesitation.

Letier looked down at the items she’d been about to pack, then sighed and followed his instructions—stuffing only simple clothes into a small bag and quickly changing into the dress he’d given her.

She didn’t even check the mirror before rushing out to catch up with him.

“Weren’t you going to check three or four villages originally?”

“No time for that now. I’ll just visit the most promising one. Do you know much about the southeastern vegetation of Eustian?”

“I’ve read about it in books.”

Letier nodded, trying hard to keep pace.

With Dante striding ahead with his long legs, she practically had to run to keep up.

“But… just one village? I thought we agreed I could visit the one I was interested in, too…”

“Not sure we’ll have time for that.”

In a low voice, Dante descended a staircase and took a worn key from a waiting maid.

After giving it to him, the maid bowed slightly and quickly disappeared down the opposite hallway.

Dante tucked the old key into his inner pocket and walked off in the direction opposite the villa’s front gate.

Letier glanced back at the wide-open gate and asked,

“Wasn’t a carriage supposed to be waiting for us?”

“It is. But if we use the front gate, everyone will see the prince leaving.”

“Oh, right…”

She quickly shut her mouth.

What a stupid question…

Dante walked like he was navigating a maze, passing through the villa’s narrow back corridors.

Eventually, he stopped in front of a wooden door no one seemed to use anymore. He inserted the key and turned it.

Creak…

The door, as old as the key, groaned unpleasantly as it opened.

Inside, a dark staircase stretched downward into pitch-black depths.

“Careful going down.”

He stepped inside and descended two steps, holding out his hand.

Letier grasped it, then slowly closed the door behind her.

The aged wood groaned again as it shut.

“…I can’t see anything.”

As soon as the door closed, they were engulfed in total darkness. Letier whispered.

“Hold onto me and rely on your senses. One step at a time—don’t rush.”

Dante’s calm voice came from somewhere in the dark.

No one could see her in this darkness, but Letier nodded as if to assure herself.

Still, it wasn’t easy stepping into a pitch-black space.

Letier relied on the faint memory of light and Dante’s firm grip as she cautiously stepped down.

“…”

“…”

Only the sound of their footsteps filled the narrow, descending passage.

Letier, growing uneasy, finally asked,

“What was this place used for?”

“An old storage area, apparently. Too inefficient to use anymore, as you can see.”

How does he even know about a path like this?

Letier thought quietly as she reached out with her free hand to feel along the wall.

She tried to move quickly, but fear slowed her pace.

“Letier, hold on.”

Dante stopped abruptly.

“Yes?”

“Don’t be startled.”

The moment he finished speaking, Letier felt her body lift into the air.

Startled, she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

“…You say not to be startled, but how is that even possible?”

“Sorry. But at this pace, we’re losing too much time.”

Cradling her in both arms, Dante continued down the steps without hesitation.

Letier quietly looked up at his face, faintly visible in the dark.

She couldn’t see clearly, but his warmth, his scent—everything that made him feel so close—was unmistakably Dante.

“…”

Letier fell silent, suddenly flustered.

Just like before, only the steady rhythm of his footsteps filled the quiet.

Hmm…

Now that she was paying attention, she could hear other things, too.

His breathing—slightly heavy—and a heartbeat, soft but steady, thudding between each step.

Without realizing it, Letier found herself staring intently at the nape of his neck.

“…Are you going to keep staring like that? If you look at me with those eyes, I might miss a step.”

Dante replied casually, his expression calm.

Letier, caught off guard, quickly turned her head away and said,

“I-It’s so dark… Can you really see anything?”

“I’m used to the dark.”

A short while later, Dante stopped walking.

He gently set Letier down on solid ground.

It seemed they’d finally reached the bottom of the long staircase.

“There should be a door here somewhere.”

He reached forward, feeling along the wall.

Letier mirrored his actions, searching the opposite wall for a doorknob.

“Found it!”

Something jutted out from the wall.

It felt round—just the size to fit in her hand. It had to be a doorknob.

When Letier turned it clockwise, light from outside suddenly flooded over her.

So bright…

Blinded by the sudden burst of light, Letier shut her eyes tightly.

From behind her, Dante raised his hand in front of her face to shield her eyes.

“So it was connected here.”

Letier blinked slowly, adjusting to the brightness, and took in her surroundings.

The door in the wall had led them to what looked like the back garden of the Lumina Mansion.

“Where’s the carriage?”

“This way.”

Dante immediately took the lead again.

As Letier hurried after him, she spotted a single, shabby-looking carriage—nothing like what royalty usually used.

Please don’t say we’re riding that…

“We’re taking that.”

Of course we are…

Letier climbed into the carriage without a word of protest.

As soon as they were seated, the coachman, without turning around, snapped the reins.

The rather scrawny-looking horse began to move slowly.

Inside the cramped carriage, Letier shifted around, trying to find a comfortable position.

Dante, sitting across from her, spoke.

“Is it too tight? Uncomfortable?”

“N-No, it’s fine.”

“Think you can handle it? It’s not a long ride to the destination.”

Seeing the concern in his expression, Letier clenched her jaw and shook her head firmly.

He’d already gone out of his way to bring her—she didn’t want to complain over something so small.

“It’s not uncomfortable. I could ride in this all day.”

“Don’t push yourself.”

But Dante’s face still showed a hint of regret.

He regrets bringing me…

Sensing his thoughts, Letier quickly changed the subject.

She pulled a wrinkled map from her bag and held it up.

“So which of the candidate villages are we visiting? Which one’s the most promising?”

“A village in the far east—Shutrakium.”

“Why is that one the most likely?”

“It has the highest concentration of plants that match the poisonous compounds found in the capital.”

Letier recalled the incidents that had happened in the capital so far.

At the first scene—where she had met Dante—poison from the ritupis flower had been used…

Later, when she was left alone in the commercial district, she encountered a man harmed by a shadowy plant that reacted to sunlight.

And there were also the Traviphobia berries from the Travi tree…

Lost in thought, Letier glanced at Dante, who was quietly staring out the window.

“Shutrakium is actually not far from Shion’s old village…”

“Shion?”

Dante’s brow furrowed at the unwelcome name.

That scribe again.

“Yes. Shion said his hometown was less than thirty minutes on foot from Shutrakium. Look at this map. If we go a little farther east from here, we’ll get there.”

“Don’t know if we’ll have the time for that.”

Dante cut in with a flat tone.

But Letier didn’t give up, despite his lukewarm response.

“Shion said a lot of Travi trees used to grow there. Those trees are only found in Shutrakium and a few places like Dodrona, right? Since their habitat is so limited, I thought it would be worth checking out his village too.”

“…Fine, then. Let’s go. If you want to see it, we’ll go.”

Dante sighed.

Pleased with his answer, Letier smiled and leaned back against the stiff, uncomfortable seat.